My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

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"Who are you?"

The woman handed over her business card. Such a simple gesture, yet it looked quite elegant.

"Yukino Yukinoshita, Inspector of the General Affairs Department of Maru-Ryu Bank... Oh, she's from our store."

I looked at the woman in front of me again.

Maru-Ryu is a huge financial institution representing this country. Employees of our subsidiaries refer to "Maru-Ryu Bank," which is at its core, as "Honten" (本店). While it is written in kanji as "Honten," the meaning has a subtle difference.

"Unfortunately, I've run out of business cards. I'm SV from the Initial Follow-up Team, Loan Department, Maru-Ryu Shinkan Co., Ltd.", Matsutani Nansuke. "

"I know. Because I've been listening in since the middle of your phone call."

It seems there's no need to use honorifics. She's probably the same age as me, or a little younger.

"Then why are our staff here?"

"Inspection".

Yukinoshita spoke frankly. Her voice, like her name, was as cold as snow.

"We visit various companies under the Maru-Lys Group to learn from their experiences and identify areas for improvement. If we find any festering sores, we make them spit them out and clean them thoroughly. That's the kind of work we do."

"Oh, pus."

I looked back at her with a defiant intent.

"They eavesdropped on other people's phone calls, gave them scores, and were even smug about it. The title of 'inspector' sounds impressive, but it turns out to be such a petty job."

"If you're going to be sarcastic, wait until you've done your job perfectly. Director Matsutani."

"If you want to criticize the staff on site, you should wait until you've worked here before you do. Yukinoshita."

Hearing me say that, most of the store's elites would back down. Most would remember the staff's insubordination and report it to their superiors. My performance review score would be lowered again, but I didn't care. I'd long ago thrown away any hope of promotion.

However, Yukinoshita nodded and said "Mmm".

Surprisingly, she didn't seem angered at all. She was even expressing her feelings.

"I will remember what you just said."

Then a gentle voice came.

"Excuse me, may I bother you for a moment?"

My colleague from the same team nervously raised her hand. Yumihama Yuri, a key member with five years of experience. She gently tugged at the cuff of her loose sweater.

Although it's July, the air conditioning in our company is very strong, so women who are sensitive to the cold have to wear thicker clothes to keep warm. She's plump and often laments that there aren't any sizes that fit her.

"Songsong, has the problem with that customer been resolved?"

"Yes, I got him to agree to pay in installments."

Yumahina placed her hand on her ample breasts and breathed a sigh of relief. A smile appeared on her round, snow-white cheeks. Her round face and fair skin were reminiscent of a "snowman." A snowman whose appearance would calm one's heart.

"Thank you so much, Songsong. You always handle customer complaints for me."

The customer complaint that came out of her mouthIt sounds like "whipped cream"I always hear it as "fresh cream," maybe I'm the only one who thinks that way.

"They sent a man to pick us up, so there's nothing we can do about it."

"Hmm...but—"

"You have your area of ​​expertise, so just leave this to SV."

Yumahama gave a cryptic smile, then glanced at Yukinoshita. Yukinoshita nodded slightly in acknowledgment, and Yumahama quickly lowered his head as well.

"Look, there are customers in line. Go back to your seat."

"Um!"

Yumahama said "thank you" again and returned to his cubicle.

Yukinoshita stared intently at my face.

"Was that customer complaint she was originally responsible for?"

I clicked my tongue and nodded.

"yes."

"Then you have to speak first."

"I was the one who took over in the end, so it's my job. Any questions?"

Yukinoshita sighed.

"Don't you think it's despicable not to say this beforehand? If the premise changes, the content of my sermon will also change accordingly."

In the end, I still have to give a lecture.

"You look a lot like someone I know."

"Huh? What is that?"

"It means something needs to be noted."

Yukino turned away, as if to indicate that she didn't intend to say anything more. Her black hair fluttered in the air like a dark veil, inadvertently drawing my attention.

"I will be here until August. Please take care of me, Director Matsutani."

The inspection team members left after saying what they wanted to say.

Am I going to have to spend more than a month under that woman's surveillance...?

I thought the workplace couldn't be worse, but reality always exceeds my imagination. It seems this hell has no bottom. Work hell. Customer complaint hell. Corporate slave hell.

Seriously, where should I go from here to fall into depravity?

Emotional labor.

The third concept following physical labor and mental labor.

Most of the so-called service industry jobs are included. Even the most unpleasant customers must be greeted with a smile. These jobs require not only physical and mental exertion, but also the subjugation of emotions—dignity—to function. Examples include convenience store clerks, restaurant counter staff, nurses, newspaper vendors, and government service personnel.

And—the customer service staff at the customer service center.

This is probably one of the most stressful jobs. Data from a certain country shows that customer service is ranked number one among professions that involve emotional labor. A champion that's anything but joyful.

In the customer service industry, my workplace was the most brutal. At the top.

The job description is to urge or expedite.

I call customers who are late on their credit card payments to urge them to pay. My team is in "initial follow-up," which targets customers who are less than three months late.

What kind of job is it?

Simply put, it's "a job where you don't get thanks from customers."

In virtually every part of the world, jobs are paid for by "helping others." Therefore, in addition to money, you also receive gratitude. Thank you to the sanitation workers who help sweep the garbage, thank you to the caregiver who helps look after your bedridden grandmother. It's perfectly natural. Even those unscrupulous financiers, often called loan sharks, have encountered people saying thank you when lending money.

However, there is no "thank you" in debt collection work.

Some people will cry, some will yell, some will scold, and some will even seriously lecture you. "You can't do this kind of work," "Collecting debts isn't something a normal person does." Strictly speaking, debt collection and debt chasing are different. That's what the HR department told me when I joined the company. "Our job isn't debt chasing! Don't worry!" It really isn't debt chasing. Because it's only about "urging people to pay back money," not debt collection.

We sacrifice our emotions for a salary.

It was past 10 p.m.

I took it for granted and worked five hours of overtime, groaning all the while. Then, a malicious internal phone call came just as I was about to go home. "Matsutake SV, please come to the section chief's office."

I knocked on the door while cursing the gods. Waiting for me inside was Section Chief Ye Gang. He was the same age as me, but this guy was an elite. He had already risen to the management level at this age. He was the son of a managing director or executive director at Maru-ryu Bank, and it was said that after accumulating experience on the ground, a corresponding position awaited him in a higher-level company within the group.

"Sorry to call you over when you were about to leave."

A smile spread across the section chief's handsome face. Most of the female part-time employees were captivated by this actor-like smile. He was an oasis in their department, where women made up over 70% of the staff. Compared to other departments, our turnover rate was lower, supposedly thanks to his smile.

As a man, I couldn't benefit from it at all; I was at his beck and call.

"The inspection team from Marubishi Bank came to your place today, right?"

The section chief wouldn't use the colloquial term "our shop." That's just the kind of person he is.

"Yes, that's right. Someone with the surname Yukinoshita."

"She seems to be the daughter of some politician. Maru-bishi Bank also seems to think she has a promising future."

I simply replied, "I see." I didn't feel the need to express any admiration. Her appearance, abilities, and status—she was a princess living in a completely different world from mine.

"Ms. Yukinoshita wishes to have your team as the center of her inspection tour. Please prepare a seat for her starting tomorrow."

"Just tell her to find a place she likes to sit. Two people resigned last month, and I'm practically empty here."

Ye Gang gave a wry smile. The lack of manpower was also a source of trouble for him.

"Thank you for your help, Matsutake."

My surname is Matsutani.

"Matsuya, I will also invite her to visit the meeting tomorrow morning."

I barely managed to hold back from making a "uh-uh" sound.

"It was my suggestion. Your team has a great rapport, making you perfect for being inspected, right?"

Ye Gang smiled. Did he know the "truth" or not? This man's mind was truly hard to fathom.

"...You'll have to bear the consequences."

That's my limit; I have no right to refuse.

Early shift, morning shift, afternoon shift, night shift.

We basically use these four types of shift scheduling.

I have to be at the office by 10 AM for the morning shift, so I have more time. Staying up late to watch anime the night before isn't a problem. However, lately even staying up late is starting to take its toll; I sometimes accidentally fall asleep in front of the TV. I was thinking of recording it and watching it on the weekend, but I'll sleep all day on the weekend, so I still won't be able to watch it. That's how a homebody slowly turns into a corporate slave.

So, it's the morning shift.

I arrived at the company just before 10 a.m., and a long-haired woman was sitting at my seat handling customer complaints.

The woman was neither a company employee nor a worker.

Yukinoshita Yukino.

She sat there with her back straight.

Wearing a headset, he calmly spoke into the microphone. He repeatedly said apologetic phrases like "I'm very sorry" and "Excuse me," but his expression and body remained completely still.

Even when she's on the phone, she can't help but lower her head when apologizing. Yumihama Yuri often bobs her head back and forth like a slightly eerie metronome. I also tend to tuck my chin in slightly.

Beneath the snow, it remained motionless, like an ice sculpture.

No, it should be called an "ice wall." She used her icy beauty to deflect customers' complaints.

A few minutes later, the call ended.

After handling a customer complaint, most people would sigh, but she didn't even exhale. Calm and composed, she began drafting the report with fluid movements.

"……What are you doing?"

I asked a question, and Yukinoshita glanced at me.

"Can't you tell? We're dealing with a customer complaint."

"I'm asking why you, as an employee of this store, are doing this kind of thing."

She tilted her head under the snow.

"You said it yourself. 'If you want to criticize the staff on site, you should wait until you've worked here before you do.' I was just following your advice."

I gazed at the woman before me with the feeling of seeing a new species.

"You don't seem like someone from our shop."

I'll take that as a compliment.

She took off her headset and gently shook her head. A refreshing fragrance wafted out with her movement.

What is the content of the customer complaint?

"A 40-year-old man living in Chiba called because his documents hadn't arrived. After discovering it was a misunderstanding on his part, he started complaining about my attitude."

"That happens often. Those kinds of customers just want to vent their stress by finding fault with others."

"He complained to me, 'Why isn't your voice Nao Touyama?' It was so funny that I replied, 'Why isn't your voice Takuya Eguchi?'" (Note 23)

"...You've got guts."